Julia's Rants

First Blood

2009-11-06T20:07:26Z

Someone's got to draw first
Draw first
Someone's got to draw first blood
Someone's got to draw first blood
Oooh I got to draw first blood
Oooh I got to draw first blood

- All Revved Up With No Place to Go; Meatloaf

Less then 24 hours after the World Series ended, the Red Sox made their first move of the Hot Stove season.

http://www.midwestsportsfans.com

The Red Sox have announced that they have acquired Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins in exchange for left-handed pitchers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez. Hermida is an outfielder who bats left and throws right and he was a first round draft pick (11th overall) in 2002.

The 25 year old has only had modest success with the Marlins. Over his career he has hit .265 with 57 HRs and 210 RBIs. The Red Sox hope that a change of scenery is what is needed for him to live up to his potential. (And hey - you remember how our last big trade with the Marlins went, right?) The question remains as to how the Red Sox will use him. He has played both right and left field and potentially he could be that "guy off the bench" much like Mark Kotsay was. J.D. Drew, our right fielder, is under contract for the next two years. And out in left field? Well...guess who filed for free agency?

Jason Bay, Rocco Baldelli and Billy Wagner

It comes as no surprise that these three gentlemen have field for free agency but it does beg the question as to whether any of these three will be back with the team next season. Billy Wagner, as part of the deal to come to the Red Sox, made the Red Sox agree not to pickup his optional year. He wants to go to a team to be their closer. I would love to see Wags stay with us, but I don't expect that to happen. Rocco Baldelli is another person whom I am not sure will be back again. And I hate to say it - but I'm not really sure I care one way or the other. The Red Sox had pretty high expectations for Baldelli when we signed him, but his lingering medical condition and injuries caused him to miss a lot of the season. He was not able to play up to our expectations and I'm not sure he will be able to. The last free agent on our list is one that I hope we can sign quickly.

Jason Bay, not matter what all the "stats" say, was an important part of our team and he is someone that I think we need to sign quickly. Yes, he was streaky when it came to getting hits - but he seemed to come through time and again for us. And his arm? I don't care what the experts say - opponents came to fear him. (And we can't let him go to the Yankees - right Scott?)

Theo, I know it's early, and you have been busy, but the time has come - RE-SIGN BAY and do it NOW!!!

http://adozeneggs.com

Oh,that? Just a little "snack" for you Mr.Theo...you know why...

First Day of the Long Winter

2009-11-06T02:04:11Z

I would be remiss if I didn't send out congratulations to my good friend Scott - yes, his Yankees won the World Series and I am sure he is still on cloud 9. If you're a regular reader here you know that Scott and I have had friendly wagers going on all season whenever our two teams played. We were tied for wins when the regular season ended and as is always the case for two teams who play in the American League - only one could advance farther then the other. And this year, Scott's team went farther then mine. Scott - I've enjoyed our battles this season and did you notice - the MLB scheduler's smiled on us - the Red Sox and the Yankees open and close the 2010 season against each other, so yes Scott - It is most definitely GAME ON! However shall we pass the time until then? There's always hockey and football and how about those 6-0 Celtics? ;-) But, far be it from me not to be a gracious "loser" for a last time this season - so for you my friend. Enjoy a little something from a "favorite distraction"....

posted on YouTube by CrisVS

GO RED SOX!! ;-)

With the World Series ending - finally - baseball moves into its third season - the Hot Stove Season!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com

While maybe not as exciting as the regular season (or post season), the Hot Stove Season is always full of drama and suspense. Who will be traded? Who will be acquired? What will my team look like come Spring Training? Each team has their own plan for this off-season; their own priority list. But before that even begins, there are a number of things that I saw in the post season that I think Major League Baseball needs to address before any of the teams can move forward.

1. http://carolynbaker.net

Either we round up all the Major League Umps and send them off a cliff like a bunch of lemmings or else MLB needs to pay for a lot of eye exams. The number of blown calls this post-season alone should be an embarrassment to Bub Selig and the powers to be. When all is working right, we don't even notice that the umps are at the game. And that is the way it should be. And this post season? Calling runners safe when they are out by 4 feet? Calling balls foul when they are clearly fair? And seriously - what rule says that the strike zone is suppose to be in constant flux during the game? High school kids calling little league games would have done a better job. It is not acceptable - to fans and players a like - to have so many errors made by umps. Do I think there should be instant replay for all calls? No. But maybe there is room for some sort of limited expanded instant replay so certain calls. I don't have the answers but Buddy and his croonies better find one and find it soon.

2. http://3.bp.blogspot.com

Can we please do something about the number of meetings that take place on the pitcher's mound? Seriously. The Yankee fans were booing when Pedro felt the need to have a little chat after the first pitch in game 6, but what about the 6 & 7 trips to the mound PER INNING that Posada and Molina were making during the games in Philly? I know - some of it is just to "psych out" the batter, but is it really necessary to make that many trips? It interrupts the flow of the game. The manager is allowed 2 trips and the pitcher has to be pulled. And why is that? Because in the 1970s Billy Martin, then manager of the New York Yankees, would make so many trips out to the mound that the league felt it had to step in and change the rules. I think it might be time for them to look at the rule again.

3. Please, please PLEASE!!! Can something be done about the baseball announcers on FOX & ESPN and to a lesser extent TBS. When I watch Red Sox games on NESN, I expect Jerry Remy and Donny-O to have a certain bias towards the Red Sox. But a National Broadcast team? We should be able to expect an impartial broadcast team who actually talks about the two teams who are playing! When my Red Sox are playing the TB Rays - I really do not want to hear about the Yankees! Over and over and over again...

I can not take it anymore! Something has got to be done about them. And the sooner the better.

I had some other things I was going to write about - but as I was writing my blog today, the news broke about the attack at Fort Hood in Texas..

and that put a lot of things into perspective. As of this time - 13 people have been killed (including the suspected gun man), 31 people have been wounded and the relative safety that those who live and work at the largest US Army base in the world enjoyed has been shattered. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims and to all our men and women in the military. It shakes our feelings of safety when we see something like this happen to those who are charged with protecting us. God Bless you all and thank you.

http://freepages.military.com

The Best Offense is a Good Defense

2009-11-04T21:28:05Z

posted on YouTube by PheasantBreezy

Much like Tom Cruise's character in "A Few Good Men" - most of us aren't ready to handle the truth. We would rather hide our heads then hear the truth; especially if the truth hurts. So I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...

If the Red Sox don't improve their defense they will not win the World Series in 2010.

I'll wait until you are done screaming.....

I know - the truth hurts - but isn't winning the World Series the name of the game? Now, I'm not saying that we go out and spend like some other team we all know....BUT when your team was ranked 28th out of 30 in defensive efficiency in 2009 something has to be done. (By contrast, our 2007 WS wining team lead the majors in defensive efficiency.)

According to the Ultimate Zone Rating (a metric used to measure a fielder's ability to turn batted balls into outs - it uses range, errors, and arm strength, coming up with a value, in runs - the more positive the value, the better) Mike Lowell had an UZR of -10.6; Jason Bay had an UZR of -13.9 and Jacoby Ellsbury had one of -16.5. Okay, the numbers don't make me happy either BUT they are what they are. Do I think the Red Sox are going to be trading Ellsbury anytime soon? No. Do I see a diminished role for Lowell soon? Perhaps.

http://www.sitv.com

Lowell had hip surgery in the off-season last year and his range of motion is limited. Balls hit right at him, he had no trouble fielding. And while he was never the faster player running bases, at times last season he seemed so very slow. However - the man could still hit! He will be turning 36 in February and is going into the last year of his contract. I don't think the Red Sox will trade him this off-season, but unless he regains a lot more of his range, I don't see him being the day-to-day third baseman. I think we will see the Red Sox shifting him into more of a DH role (we won't even get into the Big Papi discussion here) where the Red Sox can take advantage of his hitting abilities. So if we don't have Mikey on third - what do we do? Do we move Youk over to third base and get a new first baseman or do we look for a new third baseman? Someone like, say, Chone Figgins? His URZ was 14.5 last season (3rd best in the majors) and he had a.298 batting average and a.395 on-base percentage while stealing 42 bases. Just a thought..

http://mysportsrumors.com

I think. Jason Bay has indicated that he would like to play in Boston next year, but to date no deal has been reached. The rumors are that Bay wants a contract for more years then the Red Sox are willing to offer. And that is actually pretty consistent with what the Red Sox do. When a player reaches a "certain age" the Red Sox only like to tie them up for a 2 to 3 year contract. And in some respect, that makes sense. Now some might argue that we should look elsewhere for a left-fielder based solely on Bay's defensive numbers - but I'm not buying that. I think numbers can be deceiving and there is a reason both the Red Sox (and probably Scott's team) are interested in signing him. He put up good numbers at the plate and runners who have challenged Bay's arm this season using came out on the losing end. I think he is a much better defensive player then the numbers indicate. Where I don't think the numbers lie are when it comes to the defensive abilities of our catchers.

boston.com

Jason Varitek allowed 108 stolen bases over 124 chances. Sigh...And Victor Martinez?

http://cdn0.sbnation.com

He threw out just 2 in 19 chances - NOT to mention the balls that he threw away. In all fairness to V-Mart, he was only played 30 games as catcher for us. The hope is that when he is here for the whole season (and I think it is a very safe bet that he will be our starting catcher next season) he will find some of his 2007-08 form when he threw out 33 percent (46-for-138) of his would-be stealers. But this is a huge problem that the team must address. Teams last year stole at will on the Red Sox - 151 bases were stolen against us. I don't know what the answer to this problem is. Well - maybe I do know part of the answer - Jason Varitek can no longer be our starting catcher.

It makes me sad to say it. But say it I must. Could Tek be a back up catcher? I think so - but I don't know if he would accept the role. I firmly believe that the Red Sox need to be in discussions with Tek to tie him up as a pitching coach. Have him start in the minors - that really is where he needs to begin to learn the ropes - but I suspect that it wouldn't be long before we see him walking out to the mound at Fenway to calm down an anxious pitcher.

It's hard to think about things being wrong with the Red Sox - they did win 95 games after all. But there are some weaknesses (shortstop) that must be addressed. A little tweaking will make a world of difference. You know - a "World Series" of difference.

It's Him Again!

2009-11-03T22:13:33Z

Sorry for the lack of blogging over the last few days (and commenting!) but I've had an illness in my family. While no one wants anyone in their family to be in the hospital - this situation has reminded me just how much of a family we baseball fans are. Thank you to everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers and in particular I want to thank the members of the Brownie Brigade - the loyal followers of Ian Browne, the beat writer for the Boston Red Sox - for their continued support - especially my "Whoo Hooo" sister there Ellen. I also owe a huge thank you to my favorite person in South Korea (okay, he's the only person I know in South Korea!) - Mike, I owe you beer - or a bourbon ;-) - when you come home! And I need to send out thanks to all my friends on Twitter - your messages of support have meant a lot. All of you are the BEST!!

http://www.shopatmoxie.com

Even though I have been busy - I did happen to watch a baseball game last night. And what a game it was!

My good friend Scott might think that it is enough to say "Back to New York", but as you might suspect - I have a few more things to say!

http://umpbump.com

So will the Yankees' strategy in game 6 be to walk Chase Utley every time he comes to bat? If they were smart they would! With the two home runs he hit Monday night, Utley now has hit 5 HRs in this World Series (tying him with Reggie Jackson - who did it in 1977) and he has the chance to hit even more! Utley is extremely important to the Phillies' success.

http://www3.allaroundphilly.com

If the Yankees were smart, they would pitch to Ryan Howard. On Monday night he struck out for the 12th time in the WS - tying a record for the most strikeouts in a World Series. And he has the chance to break that record! But as good - or as bad - as the Phillies hitting has been, the key to who will win the World Series might very well rest on how well the Yankees' pitching strategy works. Joe Girardi and the powers to be made a decision to go with just a 3 man pitching rotation in the WS; C.C., A.J. and Andy, after their first start would all be pitching on 3 days rest. It worked okay with C.C.. But for A.J. Burnett?

The Phillies might want to see if he is available for game 6!

In 2 plus innings, Burnett gave up 6 earned runs on 4 hits; he walked 4, struck out 2 and he hit Victorino in the hand. (I still can't believe that his fingers weren't broken!) Throughout his career he has had moments when he has been awesome. And times where he has been beyond terrible - and last night A.J. has one of those really bad nights. There was no middle ground; he was unable to place any of his pitches and the Phillies took advantage of it. While the Yankees bats did threaten late in the game, the hole that A.J. dug for them was too great. And that set up a game 6 in New York with this guy on the mound for the Phillies:

http://www.everyjoe.com

Yeah - him again! Pedro was good last time - but not good enough to win. This time round? He goes up against Andy Pettitte who will be pitching on 3 days rest. Pedro has had his full rest. Can he win this time? I'll have to say - I like his chances! Pedro has played in a lot of big games; he is more then up to the challenge. If the Phillies bat can stay hot, I firmly believe that baseball will still be being played on Thursday night.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com

It's going to be a wild ride!

It's a good problem to have

2009-11-01T21:14:03Z

http://www.sonsofsamhorn.net

He was a first round draft pick for the Red Sox in 2008 - but he also had a scholarship to play QB for the University of Tennessee. He decided to play baseball. But the decisions didn't end. Shortstop or pitcher? Huh? Well if you are Casey Kelly that is real choice.

Kelly was a two position star in high school in Sarasota Springs, Florida and when he signed with the Red Sox - including a $3 million bonus - it was with the understanding that for at least for the time being he could continue to play both positions.

http://smithmountainlake.info

Splitting his time between Greenville (low Single A) and Salem (high A), Kelly was 7-5 with a 2.08 ERA in 17 starts. Meanwhile, as a shortstop, he hit just .222 with 16 RBI over 40 games at Greenville and the Gulf Coast League affiliate. It would seem he was more successful as a pitcher. But he isn't so sure.

The hope was that both Kelly and the Red Sox would have used last season to determine which position he was best at. But he really didn't get enough time at either position to make that decision. But there is something that could make the decision for him. Or someone...

http://www.redstormsports.com

Jose Iglesias

In July of this year, the Red Sox signed the 19 year old shortstop (who defected from Cuba at the World Junior Championship in Canada) to a 4 year, $8.2 million contract (plus a $6 million signing bonus). The plan is, depending on how quickly Iglesias can develop, to have him be the "shortstop of the future", so for Casey? Becoming a full time pitcher would probably make him more valuable to the team. But truthfully? It's great to have options!

But what do we do for shortstop in the mean time? Do we re-sign Alex Gonzalez? Or do we sign him?

http://livefromcalifornia.com

Adrian Gonzalez?

During the All-Star Break this season, the San Diego Padres shopped him around but they were unable to find someone willing to trade a player of equal value. But during the off-season? The Padres have to take some drastic steps in order to start rebuilding the team - and no matter how talented Adrian is, he most likely doesn't figure into their long term plans. And now that former Red Sox assistant Jed Hoyer is the new General Manager of the Padres, might the Red Sox have an in on acquiring his services? And would we have to give up one Casey Kelly in order to seal the deal? There are lots of questions that need to be answered - but isn't that was the Hot Stove is all about?

Saturday Roundup - 10/31/09

2009-10-31T19:58:48Z

Time for my weekly roundup of stories you might have missed, follow up stories and a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

1.

Happy Halloween to you all!! I love this holiday. We have the house with the spooky music, fog and lots of carved pumpkins. Why yes - there is one with a Red Sox hat and a Patriots' helmet. And really, really good candy! So - if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by.

2.

Game 3 of the World Series will be played tonight in Philadelphia. Andy Pettitte will take to the mound for the Yankees while Cole Hamels gets the start for the Phillies. Showers are expected during the game - I just hope they are not having the winds that we are in the Boston area. We are having gusts of up to 50 mph! While I am looking forward to watching the Phillies beat the Yankees tonight (Sorry Scott!), I do have an issue with the game being played oh Halloween night. This is a night that little kids (and big kids also!) look forward to all year long and when the game starts tonight it won't even be 5pm yet on the West Coast - MUCH too early for the kids to have already been out trick-or-treating! For an organization that claims to be "family friendly", forcing families to choose between going trick-or-treating or watching the game just seems wrong. MLB - how about making sure this doesn't happen again!

3. http://noontimesports.com

Congrats to Tom Brady of the New England Patriots for being named the AFC Offensive Player for the month of October. (It is the 3rd time he received this honor.) In October he completed 92 of 131 passes (70.2 percent) for 1,161 yards, had 12 touchdowns passes and a 121.7 passer rating. Since the 2006 season, Brady is now 12-1 (.923) in the month of October. Brady's 12 touchdown passes this October ranks first in the AFC and second in the NFL. Congrats also go out to Brandon Meriweather who is the AFC defensive player of the week. The Patriots have a bye week and they will resume play against the Miami Dolphins on November 9th.

4. http://4.bp.blogspot.com

Congrats to the Boston Celtics! What a start to the season they have had! They are 3-0 and have easily beaten the Cavs and the Bulls and they overwhelmed the Bobcats 92-59. Their start this season reminds me of their start in 2007 - and we all know what happened that season! And I would be remiss if I didn't say congrats to the Dallas Mavericks! They got their first win of the season last night! They beat the Lakers (did you hear about this Scott?) by a score of 94-80. Wow! The Lakers now fall to 1-1. It's great to be a Celtics' fan!

5. boston.com

Aroldis Chapman, the 21-year-old Cuban lefthander with a fastball that hits triple digits, was at Fenway Park on Wednesday and he came away impressed with the Red Sox. He has meet with several other teams already (yes, including the Evil Empire) and he has several others that he plans to meet with. Chapman defected in July, leaving the Cuban national team during a tournament in the Netherlands. After being driven to Spain, he established residence in Andorra and was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball Sept. 25. Might the Red Sox have an advantage over some of the other teams? Perhaps. Chapman's agent, Edwin Mejia, is a graduate of Boston Latin and UMass-Amherst, and attended law school at Boston University and Chapman is friendly with shortstop Jose Iglesias from Cuba, who signed an $8.5 million deal with the Red Sox in July. There is no word yet when Chapman might make a decision, but here's hoping that the Red Sox will come out on top.

6. wbztv.com

I wish to send my condolences to the family of Marine Captain Kyle VanDeGiesen of North Attleboro, Massachusetts who was one of the 14 Americans killed Monday in a pair of helicopter crashes in Afghanistan. Captain VanDeGiesen graduated from St. Anselm's College in Manchester, New Hampshire and he was the starting quarterback for the football team. During today's game against the University of New Hampshire, a prayer will be said and a moment of silence will be observed in his honor. In addition, the field is being painted with a red, white and blue ribbon as well as Van DeGiesen's uniform number, 12 and the Marine motto "Semper Fi". Captain Van DeGiesen leaves behind a pregnant wife and a young daughter. Megan VanDegiesen is due to give birth less than two weeks to their son. I'm sure his children will grow up learning what a hero their daddy was. God Bless them.

He did us proud!

2009-10-30T13:21:26Z

Sorry New York - but you are NOT Pedro Martinez's Daddy! (And you do know he said that originally in 2004 after the Red Sox lost to the Yankees at Fenway? It was never meant as an insult to anyone but himself but hey! Thanks for thinking about the Red Sox during the game Thursday!)

http://i.cdn.turner.com

I know - but he does look GREAT in this uniform!

If you asked anyone at the beginning of the season - "So, will Pedro Martinez be pitching game 2 in the World Series this year?", after they were done laughing they would have answered a resounding "NO!" and really? You couldn't disagree with them. And yet there he was on October 29, 2007 on the mound at Yankee Stadium pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies. Who knew? Pedro knew. And last night, every member of Red Sox Nation was a Phillies fan - cheering one of our own on.

boston.com

I am sure that Yankee fans (or at least of segment of them) are dancing in the streets and believe that the Yankees dominated Pedro last night. They could not be more wrong. Let's look at the two losing pitchers so far in the World Series - Pedro and C.C. Sabathia.

                                     Pedro    C.C.

Innings 6+      7
Hits 6 4
E.R.     3 2
BB 3 3
S.O.     8 6
HR 2 2

Not very different are they? Both of these gentlemen pitched very good games and any team would have been happy to have them playing for them. Pedro lived up to his hype. You have to say he did or else you have to agree that C.C. was "owned" by the Phillies. Both of the "losers" would have been winners on any other day. The difference in the first two games have been the starting pitchers.

http://media.nj.com

The only pitcher who has "owned" anyone so far has been Cliff Lee and his unbelievable performance in the first game of the World Series. In a complete game (which should have been a shut-out, thank you so much Mr. Rollins) Lee allowed no earned runs on 6 hits. He did not walk anyone and he strikeout 10. A.J. Burnett had a very good game going Thursday night, but he was only able to last 7 innings and he never looked as comfortable on the mound as Lee did.

posted on YouTube by shewui

They do spell "cool" in Philly "Cliff Lee".

The first two games of the World Series have been what everyone wanted. Exciting games with both teams in it until the end. (Who didn't get nervous when the Yankees put the first two runners on in the bottom of the 9th in game 1? Okay, maybe the thousands of fans who left Yankee Stadium early weren't.) No one team is dominating - there will be no sweeps this year - and we are seeing some great, great baseball. So please, enough already with the "Who's You Daddy?"; though the organ playing so the people at Yankee Stadium would know when to chant it was a nice touch. The Yankees DID NOT OWN Pedro in game 2. If the Phillies could have mustered a couple of more hits (And really Charlie Manuel, why did you send Pedro back out in the 7th? We knew he was all done) the series could be moving back to the City of Brotherly Love with the Phillies up 2-0.

http://rlv.zcache.com/

Neither team should be overly confident, neither team (or their fans) should be cocky. This series isn't over and I don't think either team can rightful say "It is ours." There is a lot of baseball left and hey - the series goes 6, 7 games? We just might see Pedro again. And if we do? FOX Sports Network - we've seen "the video" already; no need to show it again.

Johnny - The answer is NO!!

2009-10-28T21:03:49Z

Ian Browne, the beat writer for the Boston Red Sox wrote an article about the debate over which baseball team is the "Team of the Decade" It's a great article and I recommend you check it out. I was really enjoying it until I got to this quote:

The Yankees are the team of all time. They're the franchise that every kid grows up and says, 'I would love to be able to put the Pinstripes on.'

Huh? So who said that? A-Rod? Derek Jeter? Mariano Rivera? No. This guy said it...

http://i.a.cnn.net/si

Johnny Damon.

Really? Every kid who grows up playing baseball wants to play for the Yankees? So Johnny, what about when you said:

"I know this is the greatest moment in my baseball career. We're world champions now. This is a dream come true.

So was it the greatest moment to win the World Series when you played for the Red Sox or not? Or would it have been better if that win came with the Yankees?

I fell in love with Boston, so hopefully, I`ll be here for a long time.

Maybe you didn't really love Boston Johnny.

"I would like to finish up my career here."

But why would you say you wanted to finish your career here in Boston if the goal of all baseball players is to play for the Yankees?

"There's no way I can go play for the Yankees"

Really Johnny? Do you know what uniform you're wearing now? And even your wife Michelle said in October, 2005:

"I can't see him in a Yankees uniform"

Maybe Michelle doesn't go to any games so she doesn't know what team he plays for.

http://fatherg.googlepages.com

Look, I'm old enough and I have been a fan of baseball long enough to know that it is "Big Business". I'm not naive enough to think at the end of the day to many of the players and owners and fans it is anything more then that. But the statements that Damon made do irk me. I do NOT believe that every young boy grows up wanting to play for the New York Yankees. Please. No one every wants to play for the team they grow up watching and cheering for? If I were a professional ball player I would want nothing more then to play for the Boston Red Sox. They represent the pinnacle of the baseball world to me. And like many of members of Red Sox Nation, I think Johnny is a traitor. He said he wouldn't play for the Yankees and yet a few months later that is exactly who he went to. It was a slap in the face to all the Red Sox fans.

http://rlv.zcache.com

You made us all believe Johnny. We all thought that the "loveable idiot" would stay in Boston. I can't help but wonder - does Johnny really mean what he says about the Yankees or will he change his mind again if another team comes along with a longer contract or more money? There has been some talk that Damon could come back to Boston; that the Yankees won't pick up his contract next season. To that talk I say...

Thanks, but no thanks. Once was enough.

Where Were You?

2009-10-27T18:32:47Z

http://www.couchavenue.com

I was at my neighbor's house. My boys were allowed to stay up late. (But if it looks like it won't happen, you'll have to go to bed!) Food and drink were plenty and yes, bubbly was chilling. The Red Sox had already done the impossible - they had come back from being down 0-3 in the ALCS. It was October 27, 2004 and the Red Sox were up 3 games to none over the Saint Louis Cardinals. And then it happened.....

mlb.com

The final out was made and what almost every Red Sox fan alive that day had waited their entire lives to see had finally happened....The Boston Red Sox were the World Series Champions!

posted on YouTube by ccma2000

I will never forget how I felt. There was a slight delay in emotions as I processed the information. The Red Sox had won? Oh....My....God....THE RED SOX WON!!! Joe Buck had made the final call...

Back to Foulke, Red Sox fans have longed to hear it: The Boston Red Sox are World Champions.

And all heck had broken lose in the stands in St.Louis, in bars and in homes all across Red Sox Nation. We were yelling and screaming and hugging. After 86 years the Red Sox had won it all. And it felt GOOD! The players went crazy on the field and the 3,000 Red Sox faithful who traveled to St. Louis went crazy in the stands. Derek Lowe was the winning pitcher that night and he became the FIRST major league pitcher to ever win 3 series clinching games (ALDS, ALCS and WS) in a single season. It was the third straight game that a Red Sox starting pitcher had not allowed an earned run.

cbsnews.com

Keith Foulke came in to pitch the 9th inning and when that final out was bounced back to him by Edgar Renteria, Foulke picked it up and underhanded it to Doug Mientkiewicz - he wasn't taking any chances. The game was played under a full moon/lunar eclipse and it was on the exact day of game 7 of the heartbreaking 1986 World Series. But the Red Sox were not to be denied. As was reported by Dan Shaughnessy the next day in the Boston Globe:

They did it for the old folks in Presque Isle, Maine, and White River Junction, Vt. They did it for the baby boomers in North Conway, N.H., and Groton, Mass. They did it for the kids in Central Falls, R.I., and Putnam, Conn. While church bells rang in small New England towns and horns honked on the crowded streets of the Hub, the 2004 Red Sox last night won the World Series.

And that is something I don't think fans of other teams can really understand. The Red Sox didn't just win for Boston - they won for an entire region! They won for so many people who cared for so many years. They won for all those fans who never got to see it. There were no cocky fans walking around belittling other teams. There was a Nation of Believers. And that was the rallying cry that year.

http://blog.craftzine.com

And while we had new legends born that season - Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Keith Foulke, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Mark Bellhon, Jason Varitek, and Orlando Cabrera among others, there is a reason that the next day it was time to toast:

Ted Williams, Tom Yawkey, Sherm Feller, Dick O'Connell, Haywood Sullivan, Joe Cronin, Eddie Collins, Tony Conigliaro, Ned Martin, Helen Robinson, Jack Rogers, and thousands of others who toiled for the team, but died before seeing their Sox win a World Series.

And we knew who would be smiling:

Carl Yastrzemski, Bobby Doerr, Dominic DiMaggio, Charlie Wagner, Gene Conley, Bill Monbouquette, Chuck Schilling, John McNamara, Joe Morgan, Earl Wilson, Mike Andrews, Reggie Smith, and hundreds of other men who wore the Red Sox uniform, but never won in October. And don't forget Curt Gowdy, Lou Gorman, Dick Bresciani, Joe Mooney, and all the ushers and Sox employees who are as much a part of Fenway Park as the Green Monster and Pesky's Pole.

We here in Boston always honor those sports hero that came before. Records might be broken, but never without paying homage to those who came first. And while this might have been the first World Series in 86 years, the team would not be have been who they were that day without all those great players who came before them. Red Sox Nation is not just about today - it is yesterday, today and tomorrow all rolled up in one.

And did we have a parade!

When it is the first parade you have in 86 years you have to due it up right! So on Saturday, October 30, 2004 - a whole slew of duck boats were called up to drive the Red Sox not only through the streets of Boston but also on the Charles River so that more fans would have an opportunity to cheer their team on. Some players made their feelings known during the parade..

boston.com

And others didn't forget the players who had an early vacation that season...

http://www.survivinggrady.com

Sorry Scott!

On Opening Day, April 11, 2005 the Rings were handed out. Great Red Sox players from the past were there (Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, Pesky and Yaz) as well as sports greats from the Boston Bruins (Bobby Orr), Boston Celtics (Bill Russell) and the New England Patriots (Tedy Bruschi and Richard Seymour). There were Championship trophies from the other Boston sports teams. (It was also the first time since 1980 that one city had had 2 Super Bowl Champions and a World Series Champion in the course of 12 months.) And this said all that we in Boston needed to know:

posted on YouTube by Numbnutz1

And in 2007 the Red Sox would once again win the World Series by way of the sweep. That World Series win felt awesome also, but there is no denying it - NO World Series will ever feel quite as good as the one we won in 2004.

posted on YouTube by Fadedhour

"Time for the Nation to rejoice. Time to dance. Time to go to your window, open it wide, stick your head out and scream, ``The Red Sox won the World Series.''

And then there were 2

2009-10-26T20:26:51Z

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/

Let the Battle Begin!

The ALCS finally concluded Sunday night and we now know which two teams will be battling it out for the World Series. Representing the National League will be the defending World Series Champions, the Philadelphia Phillies; and representing the American League will be the New York Yankees. The Phillies are looking to be the first National League Team to win back to back WS since the Cincinnati Reds did in it 1975 & 1976 (Now why does the 1975 WS sound so familiar?) and the Yankees are looking for their first WS since they last won in 2000. I don't think the World Series will be easy for either team, but there will be time to study in detail who has the advantage. Instead I want to bring to your attention the Community Service aspect of the WS.

For the first time Major League Baseball will be putting community service and charitable work on center stage at the World Series. You can read about the effort in the article written by our fearless leader Mark Newman. Each of the first four nights of the WS will feature a different charity or community initiative and with the Series starting in New York, I can not think of a better charity to be hi-lighted on the first night then MLB's Welcome Back Veterans Charity.

If you are a regular reader here you know how I feel about our men and women in uniform and how much I feel we owe them and their families for the sacrifices they make in service to our country. All too often when "dad or mom" returns home - especially if they are returning from combat - they bring with them a lot of baggage that isn't always easy for their family members or friends to see. And the proud manner in which they serve our country often makes our Vets hesitant to reach out for the help they need. Welcome Back Veterans is a charity founded by MLB and its purpose is to help our returning Vets and their families as they make the transition from Military Life to Civilian Life. Many of our returning Vets suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and if left untreated, PTSD can take a terrible toll on not only the Vets but also on their spouses, children and families. One of the main purposes of this charity is to no only help provide services to treat PTSD, but also to remove the stigma of asking for help. They want to make sure that our men and women in uniform know that it is not a sign of weakness to reach out to others.

http://www.yawkeywaystore.com

All of the charities being featured at the World Series - Stand Up to Cancer, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and Community Service - are worthy of our support. But the Welcome Back Veterans program is near and dear to my heart. American's Pasttime - this game that I love - is often one of the few "touches of home" that our service men and women have when they are away; especially if they are serving in a combat situation. And what better way for Major League Baseball to give back to them then by supporting this great program. I know we have military bloggers here at MLBlogs - John, a Chaplain in the U.S. Army, writes the blog Getting Back to Fun Again about his beloved Reds - as well as members of the military who are regular readers. Trust me, few Red Sox fans are as loyal or as knowledgeable as my good friend Mike/shakenbake who is serving with the United State Air Force in South Korea. These men and women answered the call to serve. We too need to answer the call to help. So when you ease on back into your comfy chair to watch the World Series kick off on Wednesday night, can you take a moment to offer up a "Thank You" to all those who serve and to their families. They will appreciate and I know that you'll feel better for doing it.

God Bless You and Thank You.

Am I Fan of the Game?

2009-10-25T21:01:12Z

You all know which team I love - my Red Sox...

http://www.robertxgillis.com

and I think you all know that I pride myself on accepting that other teams have fans that are just as passionate about them as I am about my Red Sox. You all know how I feel about players who do things to hurt this game. I love this game! Those who use steroids and drugs and try to cheat are not okay in my book. You know that. BUT I am also very clear on one thing - I do not root for all other teams equally. And I think you can guess which team I rarely - if ever - find myself rooting for. Do I even need to tell you....

So does that mean that I am not a fan of baseball? That I do not exhibit "good sportsmanship" because I am not rooting for the Yankees now that the Red Sox are out? Am I wrong to say things like "I hope the Angels win?" Or to tease my friend by telling him that I liked the end of game five of the ALCS? Do Doger fans root for the Giants? Do Cubs and Cardinals fans root for the other team? Will Mets' fans ever pull for the Yankees to win the WS?

http://www.eteamz.com/

Can't I be a fan of the game AND a fan of the Red Sox at the same time? Did I miss the rule that said that when the Red Sox are out of the playoffs that I have to root for the Yankees or hope that they win? If you think that is rude or disrespectful or unsportsmen like, then so be it. You will never find me being rude or disrespectful to other teams and their fans on my blog - but if you think that by my saying I hope one team wins over another that makes me less of a fan of this game that I so very much love - then all I can say is I feel sorry for you. For you have no idea what it is like to feel a passion for a team that you call your own.

And speaking of teams that I am passionate about...

boston.com

The New England Patriots traveled across the Pond - with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - and the Pats won 35-7. (I know that Rays Renegade was hoping for a different outcome.) It is the second week in a row that the Patriots have taken on a winless team and both times they have won convincingly. Though the Pats did not look as sharp this week as they did last week against the Titans. Today Tom Brady was intercepted twice and he did not come out of the game until the 4th quarter.

boston.com

You can't really say though, that Brady had a bad day. He threw for 302 yards (the 26th time in his career that he has thrown for more then 300 yards) and he also threw 3 TD passes. Brandon Meriweather had two interceptions, including one that he ran back 39 yards for a TD and much like last week, the Pats "spread the love" when it came to scoring TDs. In addition to Meriweather's TD, TDs were also scored by Wes Welker, Sam Aiken, Benjamin Watson and Laurence Maroney. The Pats now have a bye week before they face the Miami Dolphins at home.

http://www.spibl.com

And tonight - Sunday night - we have game 6 of the ALCS. The New York Yankees vs the LA Angels. Joe Saunders vs Andy Pettitte. Game 5 was exciting down to the very last out and I suspect that tonight's game won't be any different. The Yankees lead the series 3-2 and the games has sifted back to New York. Both teams want this series badly - the Yankees missed out on the playoffs last year and the Angels are dedicating this season to a fallen teammate. Who will win? I don't know. But I have said this before - if the Angels win game 6, I think they will take the series. I can't wait for the game to begin!

http://www.semsba.com

Saturday Roundup - 10/27/09

2009-10-24T17:45:53Z

Time for my weekly roundup of stories you might have missed, follow up stories and a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

1. mlb.com

Wanted - one Vice-President and Assistant General Manager for the Boston Red Sox. For if the news is correct, Jed Hoyer, the man who currently holds that position, is about to be named the new General Manager for the San Diego Padres. Hoyer, who has been with the Red Sox since 2002, made headlines in 2005 when he and Ben Cherington served as co-general managers during Theo Epstein's 10-week "vacation" from the team following a falling out with team president and chief executive officer Larry Lucchino. And one of the big moves he made in those 10 weeks? The deal that sent shortstop Hanley Ramirez to the Florida Marlins for pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell. There is no word on when the formal announcement will be made, but I wish him well.

2. boston.com

The Red Sox might have another vacancy. It is being reported that Terry Francona's bench coach, Brad Mills, is one of the 4 finalist to become the next manager for the Houston Astros. That is what happens when your team is successful and you have quality people. They are in demand in other places. In addition to Mills, there has been some interest in our pitching coach John Farrell - but Farrell has indicated that he will be back next season. Good luck to Brad Mills.

3. http://www.insidesocal.com

I have started reading this great book that looks in depth at Game 6 of the 1975 World Series as well as the history of baseball leading up to that game. As you all know, I am old enough to remember the '75 WS and I have to tell you - the memories this book brings up for me? It gives me goosebumps! Mark Frost is a very talented writer and his story telling is impeccable. The book is so much more then just about "that game". You get a very clear understanding of the people who were involved. The players, managers, everyone involved in that series - you learn about their backgrounds and what made them the people they were. I can not wait to finish the book and I highly recommend it. Along with The Yankee Years it is the best baseball book, in my opinion, to come out this year. You do not have to be a Red Sox or Reds fan to enjoy this book.

4. boston.com

The New England Patriots are in Jolly Old England getting ready to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday from Wembley Stadium. This will is the third straight season that the NFL has held a regular season game in London and there is some speculation that the League would like to have a team based in England within ten years as part of a league expansion. And you read that right - a TEAM based there with other teams in the league having to regularly travel to England to play them. After reading about the logistics nightmare getting the Patriots over to London (6'2', 350 pound guys do NOT like being stuffed into an airplane for 5-6 hours, let alone dealing with the time change) I really don't know if I like this idea. Some players say they would support having an additional regular season game or two being played in England - different teams involved each time - and if the season is expanded from 16-18 games that is a possibility, but most were not sure if they would be willing to play for a team who called London home. I guess we will have to wait and see on this one. Good luck to the 4-2 Pats as they take on the 0-6 Buccs!

4. http://www.sleepandhealth.com

After consulting with sleep medicine specialist Dr. Charles A. Czeisler of Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women's Hospital, Doc Rivers of the Boston Celtics has a new practice drill for the team - MORE SLEEP! As a result - there will be no more morning shoot arounds on the day of games and practice will not start until noon on those days. According to Czeisler:

"What we are trying to do is leverage the power of sleep. As pro athletes, they spend so much time trying to practice and master the skills of the game - and sleep turns out to be a very critical part of the process. There is evidence that you can significantly improve free throw percentage and reaction speed if you optimize levels of sleep.''

The Celtics have already started on this system in the pre-season and so far Doc Rivers is happy. He has said:

"I think they're fresh. I think we've had better practices, [but] it may be because we're a better team than we were last year. I do like it, I think our guys love it."

K.G. and Ray Allen were not initially sold on the idea - they like early morning practices - but even they now admit that getting more sleep is helping them. Now if they could only find a way for moms to get more sleep....

5. Do you Twitter? If you do - make sure you follow me! Just click on the button in my blog header up above. Anyway, last night the following statement was thrown out for all baseball fans to finish: I love baseball because...and my 140 character (or less answer, as allowed by Twitter) was "when you are a fan, strangers can become instant friends no matter where you are." So I ask all of you the same thing, how would you finish this statement? - "I love baseball because..."

6. Finally, I would just like to wish my good friend Scott and his wife

Happy Anniversary!

~~ Julia

Back and Back?

2009-10-23T23:13:30Z

boston.com

The news out of Fenway Park about Tim Wakefield is good. He had surgery on his back this past Wednesday and by all accounts it went very well. Wake had the surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back that was pressing on his sciatic nerve running down his leg. The pain from it prevented him from moving very well. He had to go on the DL after the All-Star break and when he came back, he could only be used every 8 or 9 days, at best. He tried cortisone injections during the season, but it became obvious that surgery was his only option.

It is being reported that Wake can begin his off-season program in 4-6 weeks and that he should be ready for Spring Training. While he 'technically" doesn't have a contract with the Red Sox, the team and Wake have been operating on a recurring $4 million option for a number of years and by all accounts he wants to come back and the Red Sox want him. And Wake does have some goals in mind before he retires. He is quoted as saying:

"I do have some goals in mind. I obviously want to get to 200 wins, and the second one obviously is to try to become the all-time leader in wins in Red Sox history. I'm 18 away from that. Way past that? I really can't tell you,"

The news on Wakefield is encouraging. And I think he can still be a great contributor to the Red Sox. Before the All-Star Break and his injury he had an 11-3 record and he was on track to have his first 20 win season, to go with his first All-Star selection. I hope that Tim Wakefield is back. Not only do I think he can still help the team - but the way he went out last season? It was NOT the ending that his great career deserved. I can not wait to see him back on the mound at Fenway.

Can they go back-back-back?

http://merage.uci.ed

Watching the LA Angels beat the NY Yankees last night (wasn't the ending great Scott?) was much more stressful then it should have been. (Or at least much more stressful then I expected from a non-Red Sox game!) If you want a summary of the game - you can read that here. (My friend did a great job!) My question is - can the Angels do it again? Or perhaps I should really be asking - do the Yankees really want it? The Angels scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first and it stayed that way until the 7th. The Yankees scored 6 runs in the top of the inning and they were in command - until the bottom of the 7th. The Yankees gave 3 runs then and allowed the Angels to take the lead again. And then it was the top of the 9th.

The Yankees had bases loaded - there was an intentional walk, an unintentional walk and a hit batter - and there were two outs. Who do they send to the plate? The man hitting .118 in the series - NIck Swisher. Seriously? There was no else on the bench who they could use for a pinch hitter? Are they that confident that they will win at home? Nice to be confident. They thought they would win at home in 2004 also.

So what did we learn in game 5? Have the Angels finally found their stride and will they continue playing in the postseason with the passion they have shown all season? Or will the Yankees continue to dominate at home? My prediction? If the Angels can win game 6, they will win the series. Sorry Scott!

What do you believe?

2009-10-22T21:16:34Z

Look at this statement-

"There are differences between hitters and complete players. Matt Holliday is a complete player. There is, frankly, no one like him in the market."

And how about this one -

(In reference to Johnny Damon) "Johnny just plays, and he's got the body type that allows him to do that. If stem-cell research were around, you'd want to tap into that gene pool"

Both of these men are free agents at the end of the season and both of these men have had their agents talking them up. And looking at those comments you'd think the agents were competing against each other - one is like "no other" and the other should be cloned due to his greatness. So their agents have to be in competition, right? Actually wrong - both of these players are represented by him...

http://www.nydailynews.com

The man who is either the most hated man in all of baseball or the greatest agent ever - Scott Boras - represents both Matt Holliday and Johnny Damon. And he is doing what he does best - talking out of both sides of his mouth. Whichever one of his clients can bring him the most money is the one who gets his attention. (Just ask Jason Varitek what it is like to not have that "most favored client" status.) He is almost personally responsible for the huge rift between the "have" and the "have not" teams and he has players thinking the only thing that matters is the number of zeros in their paychecks. But where does he hold the most power? In the amateur baseball draft.

When the draft was instituted in 1965, it's main purpose was to prevent a bidding war among teams for top prospects. The draft allows major league clubs to obtain exclusive negotiating rights to players completing their senior year of high school. If the player decides to go to college instead, he can then be drafted again at the end of his junior year - but the first team retains "rights" to the player until 1 week before the next draft. These rules only apply to amateur players and they were written before the Northern League and other leagues were formed - and that is where Boras found his loophole. In 1994 Jason Varitek, a senior at Georgia Tech, was considered by many to be the best catcher in the draft and when the Seattle Mariners would not meet Boras' asking price, he had Tek sign with the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League and then he argued that since Tek had a "professional contract" he was an unrestricted free agent one week before the 1995 draft and that the Mariners had no claim on him. The Mariners did settle with Varitek one week before the deadline to avoid a stalemate.

Boras pulled the stunt again in 1997 with J.D. Drew. The Phillies drafted him but would not pay the $11 million that Boras wanted, so Drew went to the Northern League as well. MLB amended their draft rules a couple of months later, making Drew still subject to the draft, and in 1998 the Cardinals drafted him and paid the $8.3 million asking price. But is this right?

http://www.mwtb.org

In other sports (like football and basketball) the teams that have the worse records have the first crack at the top talent, but in baseball that doesn't always work out. Boras has locked up so many of the amateur players that some teams don't get a crack at the best players because they won't deal with Boras. They either aren't willing to take the chance and lose out or else they just want to have anything to do with the man. The owners have since amended the draft agreement again to include some compensation for teams - if the drafted player doesn't sign my August 15th, the deal is off and the team gets a compensatory pitch in the same place in the following year's draft. (ie: If Team A had the number 2 pick this year and can not sign their draft pick, then they get the #2 draft pick the following year.) But is this way it should be?

http://www.splitreason.com/

The Major League Owners have only themselves to blame for the rise of Scott Boras. They tried to exploit the players; to keep the money to themselves. And that allowed Boras to come in and claim to be "Robin Hood!" He was going to rob from the rich and give to the poor. Maybe that's what he did at first. And now? Should one person have so much power that he can become the talk of game four of the World Series because he chooses to disrupt it by making an announcement about a client opting-put of a contract? The owners can take the game back from him if they band together and hold strong. They need to tell him no and mean it or they will never be free from him exploiting the game.

http://img2.allposters.com

So what do you believe? That Matt Holliday is the great thing since slice bread or that Johnny Damon is?

http://rlv.zcache.com

That's what I thought.....

I dedicate my season ranking to....

2009-10-20T23:45:55Z

In the tradition begun by Jimmy Curran of Baseball, The Yankees and Life, I would like to dedicate my #4 ranking on the Latest Leader's List for the 2009 Regular Baseball Season to a great Red Sox player. But since it was a ranking for the whole season, I wanted to do a very special dedication. And in my mind, there is no one else I should dedicate my ranking to then my all time favorite Red Sox player...

Carl Yaztrzemski

And hey - he wore #8 and 4 x 2 = 8! Yaz made his debut with the Red Sox on April 11, 1961 and played his entire 23-year career in Boston.

Yaz had the good "fortune" to follow Ted Williams in left field. And when he arrived, the Fenway faithful were none to kind. They thought of him as a "workaholic blue-collar player" who would never measure up to the mighty Teddy Ballgame. And then came the "The Impossible Dream"

http://www.fenwayoutlet.com/

The 1967 Boston Red Sox!

That year Yaz won a place forever in the hearts of all Red Sox fans. Not only did he win the Triple Crown (only the third man to do it since Ted Williams - who did it twice) and the AL MVP award, but his performance down the stretch of the regular season was what made him a baseball legend. Over the last twelve games of the season - when 4 teams were still in the pennant race - he helped the Red Sox win 8 of those games by hitting 5 homeruns, 16 RBIs and his batting average over those games? An unbelievable .523! No, the Red Sox did not win the World Series that year, but we had found a left-fielder we could believe in.

In 1968 Yaz again won the batting title - hitting .301. What you ask? How could someone win the batting title hitting only .301? Well 1968 was the "Year of the Pitcher" - the pitching mound had yet to be lowered - and he was the ONLY batter it hit for over .300 take season. He also lead the league in on-base percentage and walks.

In 1969 he had his first of two straight 40 HR seasons. In 1970 he got four hits and won the MVP award at the All-Star Game and he had a career high .329 BA but he lost out on the batting title to Alex Johnson by less than .001! Yaz did lead the league in slugging and on-base percentage and he finished third in home runs.

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org

In the 1975 World Series against the "Big Red Machine" Yaz did make the last out in game 7, however earlier in the game, he began the scoring with a home run off left-handed pitcher Ron Guidry - the only homer the Cy Young winner allowed to a left-handed hitter the whole season. Yaz's career continued until 1983 - but when Jim Rice joined the team in 1974, Yaz realized that Rice was too valuable to have sitting on the bench, so Yaz went to management and said he would play first base so Rice could take over at left-field. Can you imagine a player doing that today?

So just how good was Carl Yastrzemski? At the time of his retirement, Yaz was the all-time American League leader in games played (3,308 - now second all time) and was the only American League player to amass 3,000 hits and 400 home runs (finishing with 3,419 and 452 respectively) and he had 1,844 RBIs. A seven-time Gold Glove winner, Yaz earned the honor of 18 All-Star Game appearances, and is generally considered one of the finest defensive left fielders of all-time. He is also the last player in the majors to win the triple crown. In 1989, with 94.63% of the vote, Yaz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I hope you have enjoyed my trip down memory lane. It is by learning about the great players of the past that we all become better fans.

Thank you again for stopping by, for reading and for commenting. What a great community we have here at MLBlogs!